What is classified as a heart condition caused by hypertension?

Heart failure is a condition that can develop as a direct result of long-standing hypertension. When blood pressure is elevated over time, it forces the heart to work harder to pump blood against the higher resistance in the blood vessels. This increased workload can lead to changes in the heart muscle, potentially resulting in its enlargement and weakening. As the heart becomes less efficient at pumping blood, it can lead to heart failure, where the heart cannot meet the body's needs for blood and oxygen.

Heart failure is specifically associated with chronic conditions like hypertension, making it a significant focus in managing patients with high blood pressure. Early and effective management of hypertension can help prevent the progression to heart failure, which highlights its connection to this specific cardiovascular condition.

Other heart conditions listed, while also serious, have different primary causes or mechanisms. For instance, arrhythmia refers to abnormal heart rhythms, coronary artery disease focuses on the narrowing of blood vessels supplying the heart, and myocardial infarction is usually due to blockages in the coronary arteries leading to heart tissue damage. Each of these conditions has distinct etiologies and relationships with hypertension, but heart failure is specifically linked to the prolonged effects of high blood pressure.